Kingdom Hearts: Crisis Rising
by chubsXofXtheXfrozenXstates
Summary: A year after the events of Kingdom Hearts 2, Sora, Roxas, and some of the other guys go to Midgar and enlist in the Shinra Company. But when darkness comes back for revenge on Midgar, the gang has to band together with their friends to survive. SxK, RxN
1. Intro

This is the new opening chapter that I wrote. This is going to be short.

Disclaimer: This goes for the whole story. I don't own any of this, just the plot and any OC's that happen to appear. Square Enix and Disney own these games.

"Ok class, it's time to move on to the wars in Midgar's history. Why don't we start with the most recent one." A woman in her mid 40's with brown hair containing streaks of gray said. She was an average height for a woman of her age. Her hair was pulled back in a bun, and she had a pair of round wire-thin spectacles sitting on her nose. "First off, does anyone know the name of this war?"

A girl with a blond ponytail raised her hand. The teacher pointed to her. "Yes Narene?"

Narene stood and answered, "It was called The Seven Days of Darkness, Miss Harris." Narene said.

"Correct. Does anyone know anything that happened during this war?"

Jaesyn Norris just sighed, his head resting on his right hand. His attention was only captured when he heard the teacher call a certain black-haired girl's name.

"Yes Myria?"

Myria stood and answered the question. "A group of friends all came together and helped the Shinra Electric Power Company defeat the beings of darkness."

"Yes, that's true. Does anybody know how it ended?"

Jaesyn raised his hand. The teacher looked at him, sighed, rolled her eyes and said, "I doubt that you actually know, Jaesyn, but humor us. How do you think it ended?"

"One of the friends took on an entire army of heartless in an act of insane bravery." Jaesyn said, then leaned back in his seat. The teacher looked shocked.

"That's pretty close. However, you're missing one detail. The boy was actually being punished for cowardice and betraying his friends and the company, so they sent him to his death. He had a so-called "magical" weapon shaped like a weird-looking key that they allowed him to use. He died, and with good reason. I think we all know he deserved it."

Jaesyn sat upright in his seat. _Wait a minute. That doesn't sound right. Hmm, well, Dad was in that war. I'll have to ask him sometime._

Just then the bell rang, signaling that class was over. Jaesyn was one of the last to get up and leave classroom. As soon as he got out into the hallway, someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned to see Myria smiling up at him.

"Hey Jaesyn! Ready for this weekend?"

Jaesyn just stood there, looking clueless, then scratched the back of his head. "Uhh, this weekend?"

Myria giggled. "The reunion, remember? I'm coming with Nycole, you know, your little sister?" A smirk replaced the smile on her face.

A light went on in Jaesyn's head. "Oh, that's right! Heh heh, kinda sorta totally forgot about that."

Myria just rolled her eyes. "You're so much like your dad." She started to walk away.

"H-hey, is that a good thing?!" Jaesyn shouted after her. She just laughed and kept walking. He hurried to catch up with her. They both continued to their next class.

* * *

The trip to the large cabin in the woods where the gathering was being held wasn't that bad. Jaesyn stared out the window, reminiscing on what the teacher had said on Thursday.

"_The boy was actually being punished for cowardice and betraying his friends and the company, so they sent him to his death. He had a so-called "magical" weapon shaped like a weird-looking key that they allowed him to use. He died, and with good reason. I think we all know he deserved it."_

"You've been pretty quiet back there, Jaesyn." His mother said looking back at him.

"Now do you see what I mean when I say all the noise comes from Nycole?" Jaesyn said with a grin. He could hear his dad snickering from the driver's seat.

"Well, still, you've been more silent than usual. Is something up?"

Jaesyn looked out the window again. "No, just thinking about something."

"Probably Myria." His dad said to his mom.

Jaesyn started to blush. "A-am not Dad!"

"But you're blushing, and you're denying it." Mom joined in, grinning madly.

Jaesyn took a moment to compose himself. "No, seriously, I was thinking about something else."

His dad shrugged his shoulders. "All right, all right, just trying to have some fun with you, Son."

"More like at his expense." His mom said, winking at Jaesyn, who smiled back.

"Well can you blame me? We've been driving for an hour and 45 minutes, and I've just about seen every kind of tree known to man." His father said, quickly throwing his hands in the air before gripping the steering wheel.

His wife patted him on the shoulder. "Just 10 more minutes, honey, you're doing great."

There were already several different cars and two awesome-looking motorcycles in the large driveway. Both bikes bore the Shinra Electric Power Company symbol on the gas tank. They entered the cabin to receive loud "Hey!"s and cheers.

Two men leaned against the living room wall. They both had insanely spiky hair, except one had black hair, and the other had blond. The black – haired man had his hair slicked back, spiking at the end. However, one slim, skinny section stuck up, then bent down about halfway up the spike. He got off his position on the wall and headed to the family. The blond guy just unfolded his left arm and raised it in a wavelike way.

The black-haired man walked up and clasped hands with Jaesyn's dad, then half hugged him.

"How ya doing, man?" he asked Jaesyn's dad.

"Not too bad. You?"

"Never better. Hey there!"

With that said, he hugged Jaesyn's mom. Then he turned to Jaesyn, man-clasped his hand, and pulled him into a half hug.

"Hey, the munchkin grew up! What are you, 16 this year?"

Jaesyn grinned. "'Sup Uncle Zack. Hi Aunt Aerith!"

A young woman with brown hair turned from her place at the kitchen sink and waved.

"Mom! Dad! Aunt Namine is awesome! She got us ice cream on the way here."

Nycole bounded into the room like a hyper 7– year–old, Myria following behind. She spotted Jaesyn and waved. Jaesyn waved back. Zack leaned down. "Man, dude, she's quite the beauty. You guys going out?"

Jaesyn started blushing again. "Me? Her? No way. I'd never be good enough for her."

Zack just laughed and smacked him heartily on the back. Then he muttered into his ear, "Nycole's going insane. And I thought Yuffie was bad."

Jaesyn laughed. "She's ok, but I will admit, the ice cream was against Aunt Namine's better judgment.

Namine walked into the room. She looked at Jaesyn's parents and smiled weakly. "Sorry."

Sometime later after everyone had said their hello's and Myria was introduced to everybody, they sat down to eat.

"Jaesyn, would you like to say grace?" asked Tifa, Cloud Strife's wife.

Jaesyn shrugged. "Sure."

Everyone bowed their heads, and Jaesyn began.

"Dear Lord, thank you for this weekend gathering where we can just relax and enjoy each other's company. We thank you for this food, we thank you for everything that you've done for us, and most of all, we thank you for sending the Light into this universe to defeat all darkness and save us all. In His Name, Amen."

"Amen." Everyone echoed.

"Dig in!" Zack shouted.

A gray-haired 25-year-old man named Riku slapped Zack on the back of the head, then shook his own head. "Way to be a leader, Zack."

Zack rubbed the back of his head, then grinned. "What can I say? Cloud and I rode for an hour and 55 minutes, and I saw just about every kind of tree known to man."

Jaesyn's dad turned to his wife. "See? It wasn't just me!"

His wife just chuckled and playfully slapped him on the arm. "No complaining at the dinner table."

After dinner was done and the dishes were cleaned, Jaesyn went to the living room where his dad, Zack, Cloud, and Riku were talking. He decided to ask the question that was on his mind that day. He tapped his dad on the shoulder.

"Hey Dad?" His dad turned and looked at him. "I was wondering about something my history teacher said. We just started discussing The Seven Days of Darkness and she said that the dude who ended it was actually a coward and a traitor and was put in that position as punishment. She said they let him use his key-weapon-thing to defend himself. For some reason, this doesn't seem right. I remember hearing you and Mom talking about it once, and it's not matching up. What's the real story about the war?"

His father turned and looked at the other three sitting there. They all nodded, and he turned back to look at his son.

"How about we get everyone else in here before I start?" He stood up and yelled, "Hey, everyone please come to the living room if you're interested in a history lesson on The Seven Days of Darkness!"

In less than a minute, everyone and their kids had piled into the living room. Myria sat down on the floor next to Jaesyn.

Jaesyn's dad looked around. "Good. Thanks for coming. It looks like I have a story to tell."

* * *

A/N: Ok, I was writing this, and I realized the ages of the adults and kids would be wacked out if I didn't think of someway to fix it so here it is.

Jaesyn was roaming the streets trying to survive after his parents died in a car accident. He came across the home of a young loving couple who had just adopted a 14 year old girl named Nycole, and they gladly adopted him. They're only about 7 or 8 years older, but are still legal guardians.

So that's how the ages are wacked out and yet not messed up.

Also, if you didn't appreciate the prayer, and you decide to review, I'd greatly appreciate it if you didn't slam it or anything like that. Thank you.


	2. Introduction to Darkness

He guys, I'm new to the writing part of this, so here goes nothing.

The writing style is not mine as I have adapted it from another person(s).

* * *

A dark sky blocked out the stars and moon. The wind blew with an eerie smell intertwining with it. It was a peculiar smell, but not in a good way.

It was an evil smell.

The smell of darkness.

The stench continued to flow, down into the city of Midgar, through its streets and seeping into homes, under door frames and through windows, filling every single nook and cranny in every single structure.

This wasn't an ordinary phenomenon. Ever since the Shin-ra Company took over the city, the infantry had driven out the beings of darkness, never to return. That is, until now.

For tonight was the night. The perfect night.

The night for revenge.

Yes, darkness would make a comeback in Midgar, and it wouldn't stop its conquest until it corrupted and controlled President Shin-ra, and in turn, the whole city.

However, the beings of darkness, made up of heartless and nobodies, could ever pull off such a militaristic feat on their own. No, someone had to be leading them.

There was.

And that man was far more dark and evil than any other organism in the entire universe.

Deolyx.

Some say he is a heartless because of his lack of care for innocent civilians. Others say he is a nobody because of his name and the fact that he feels no pain, no suffering.

No love.

But alas, he is none of these. In fact, he is something that no human, creature, or personification of any type of being that could ever even think was possible.

He is darkness itself, manifested in solid form.

The exact personification of pure evil.

He stands in his tower in The World that Never Was, watching his forces move out through the portals to the Corridors of Darkness, heading for the city.

His city.

Or more specifically, his soon to be city.

* * *

There you go. I'm trying this, so please leave feedback, let me know if I should keep going or quit.


	3. Final Training

Here we go, chapter 2…

* * *

The whirling of helicopter propellers sliced the still quietness of the night. A Shin-ra Military personnel chopper flew down towards the city, heading for its target. A moving Shin-ra MK-23 locomotive carrying 15 cars loaded with weapons and ammunition had been taken over by the Heartless, led by their commander, General Sylic. Sylic was a ruthless being who used his intimidating size and immense amounts of power to unleash pain and torture on innocent beings.

The helicopter lowered into position, the side door sliding open to reveal three people. The youngest, a boy with spikey brown hair, around 16 years old stepped up to the opening.

"Coming up on the drop zone, E.T.A. 30 seconds!" the pilot's voice shouted over the intercom.

Another man with longer brown hair in his late 20's stepped out of the shadows and addressed the boy.

"All right Sora, remember, this is a training exercise, but treat it like the real thing. Eliminate all hostiles and retake the train. After that, stop at the Sector 1 platform and meet up with Roxas. The both of you will be briefed on the rest of the assignment on your arrival. Remember. Focus."

"You got it. No worries Leon!" Sora shouted back. He then turned back to the open doorway.

"We're at the drop zone! You have a go whenever you're ready!" the pilot shouted from the cockpit.

"Sora, don't forget, you're still human. You may be one of the Keyblade masters, but that doesn't make you invincible. Stay alert."

Sora turned around and gave Leon a thumbs up. He summoned his keyblade, the Kingdom Key, and jumped out of the helicopter.

Leon turned to look at the other man in the bay. A blond man leaning against the wall of the chopper in his mid twenties, Cloud, just closed his eyes and lowered his head.

Leon looked back outside of the door and sighed.

"Sora, what am I going to do with you…."

* * *

Sora landed on the train with hardly a sound, immediately taking out two shadow heartless and threw his keyblade through a third. Suddenly, 30 more popped up to replace the others that were just blasted into oblivion. Sora just cocked his head and grinned. One minute and thirty seconds later, Sora crossed his arms and grinned and the piles of darkness practically engulfing the train roof.

"No sweat!" Sora said, then headed for the train cab.

The train screeched to a stop at the Station 1 platform. Sora jumped out of the engine and walked straight to a park bench. On it sat a teenager, no more the 16, in a black hooded cloak. Other people would've thought him strange, maybe even evil, but Sora knew exactly who he was.

Roxas.

As Sora approached, Roxas stood up and lowered his hood, revealing a mess of spikey blond hair. He grinned at Sora.

"Took your time getting here, didn't you, Sora?"

"Hey don't blame me, the pilot wouldn't go past 50 kph." Sora countered as he fist-pounded Roxas.

Their earpieces beeped. They heard Cloud's voice on the other end.

"Good. Phase one complete. Now then, there have been reports of 'freaks in white jumpsuits' in Sector 8. Head there now."

"Roger. Moving to position." Roxas responded as he summoned both of his keyblades, Oblivion and Oathkeeper.

Sora just stared at them. "That's so not fair. I'm the Keyblade Master and you end up with two. You're just a part of me."

"Yeah, the cool dude part with two keyblades."

"Too bad you're the only one who thinks you're cool."

"Actually, that's you."

"Whatever."

"You know it's true."

"Is not! At least I have spikey hair."

"So do I, Sora."

"Touché."

"Would you two just shut up and get a move on?" Cloud muttered over the mic.

"Oh, right. Sorry. Let's go."

The two headed up the stairs leading to Sector 8.

* * *

Thirty minutes later, the two stood panting in the center of Sector 8 with whatever remains of all the Nobodies they fought scattered throughout the square. They were started to return to base when Cloud's voice came over the radio.

"Guys, change of plans. General Sylic has been spotted in Sector 7. Go there and take him out. If he's too strong or you are unable to get to him, we have an airstrike primed and ready on standby, so get out of there as fast as you can and we'll take care of the rest."

"All right, on our way."

The two raced off for Sector 7.

When they arrived at Sector 7, they were astonished at what they saw. Destroyed buildings, roads, cars, and signs lined the debris packed streets. The looked up and saw General Sylic in some sort of huge mechanical robot destroyer. He cackled a menacing laugh that sent shivers running up the two keybearers' spines.

"Puny runts with keys, I'll smash you like pancakes, and your blood will be the syrup!" He laughed again, and turned toward them.

"All right, let's do this," muttered Sora. Together, he and Roxas charged at the general.

The destroyer swung its arms at the two attackers, but missed by a long shot. Roxas started hacking at the arm armor and Sora headed straight for the general. However, no matter what they did, they couldn't get to the general's vital points.

"C'mon Sora, lets get out of here and have the airstrike deal with this."

"No, wait, Roxas. There's still one more thing we haven't tried."

"You mean?"

"Yeah."  
" Lets do it."

With that Roxas shoved the Oathkeeper into the ground and stuck out his empty hand palm up facing Sora. Sora stuck his palm against Roxas'. Roxas started to glow with a blue light, and then, in a flash of blue light, Roxas was gone, back inside of Sora. Sora now had the Kingdom Key in his right hand and the Ultima Weapon in his left. Oathkeeper and Oblivion were floating around him. He was in Allied form.

"May the power of two destroy you!"

Sora shot forward, all four keyblades spinning, emitting a golden glow as he slashed through the armor, each slash sending him one step closer to the general. Finally he shot up into the air. All four of the keyblades pointed at the general.

"Divine Light will vanquish this evil forever!"

A great ball of light created from beams shooting out of the keyblade tips came rocketing at the general.

"Oh, crud," muttered the general, and shut his eyes.

The personnel in the sky could see the explosion.

"Whoa!" shouted the Shin-ra pilot.

"Looks like they did it," said Leon. A small smile appeared on his face.

Back in Sector 7, Sora and Roxas walked towards the general. Sylic was on his knees, coughing, blood trickling down his face. Sora raised his keyblade and pointed it at him.

"Time's up buddy."

"No…. No please, no NO!"

Sora swung the weapon down at Sylic's head. It connected, resulting in a sickening crunch.

Sylic fell limp onto the ground face down, blood pouring out of the wound on the back of his head.

"Oh yeah!" shouted Sora.

"Good going." Roxas congratulated.

"Gentlemen." This time, the voice over the earpiece was different. "Congratulations on completing your final training exercise. Return to the Shin-ra building."

"Thank you, Director Lazard, Sir!" Both agents responded simultaneously.

"Man, we're going to have to tell the girls about this." Sora said to Roxas.

The two walked off, heading for the Shin-ra building.

* * *

There you go, again, please comment and tell me if I should keep going. Thanks.


	4. Paradise Broken

Yeah I know, I'm too lazy to write an amazingly epic fight scene. My bad.

Chappy 3

* * *

The sound of the waves lapping gently onto the seashore was music to the ears of the redheaded girl leaning on the railing of the back porch of a beach house. It filled her with a peace, one that can't be explained with words except by saying, "Everything is perfect in the world." However, Kairi knew this wasn't the case. She had a sinking feeling that something big was going to happen. Something bad.

And Sora, Roxas, Riku, and everyone else would be dragged into it.

She sighed, listening to the waves and trying to clear her head of such pessimistic thoughts. Namine walked out of the house and joined her on the porch

"Hey."

"Hey."  
There was a moment of silence.

"So I saw you out here and thought you were lonely, so I came and joined you."

"Thanks. I was just thinking and listening to the waves."

"About Sora?" Namine asked.

Kairi looked at her with a small smile. "Yeah."

Namine smiled back. "I thought so."

They continued to stare out at the setting sun over the sea. Twilight Town was always so beautiful. It was like a land in a fairy tale. Ever since Pence had inherited the beach house from his deceased grandfather, the Twilight Town gang, Kairi, Namine, and some of the time Riku, had moved their living quarters out to Twilight Beach.

"Riku leaves in two days. We're going to throw a party for him. You wanna help?" Namine asked Kairi. She didn't like seeing her originally past other so solemn and sad. She thought this might take her mind off of Sora and that dark feeling deep inside. They both seemed to plague Kairi's mind. Namine had noticed. Plus, she knew how she felt. She missed Roxas, and she too had experienced the creepy sensation in her gut.

"Namine? Do you miss Roxas?"

Namine looked back over at the sun, sitting suspended on the horizon, half visible, half gone.

"Yeah." She replied. "Every day."

"Hmm."

"Hey, we'll see them again soon."

Kairi smiled. "Yeah, you're right.

Suddenly the door burst open as Pence came flying toward the girls. His eyes were wide.

"Hey guys, uhh, you might want to take a look at this."

Namine turned and looked him straight in the eye. "Look at what, Pence?"

"The TV. Breaking news just came on. It's…. disturbing, and I'm sure it concerns you guys."

Kairi and Namine jogged inside and headed for the living room where Hayner and Olette sat on the couch. They looked up upon hearing the two girls enter the room.

Hayner pointed the remote at the TV, turning it up a bit. "Take a look at this."

The girls sat down in two recliners on opposites sides of the T.V. The picture showed different cities in different worlds. The buildings were on fire, people were running and screaming, injured and scared out of their heads. But the visible chaos being distributed to the general public subscribed to Shin-ra Digital Cable wasn't even the worst of it. Not even close. The people saw something else. Something extremely frightening and "disturbing" as Pence put it.

The culprits were known as they saw a man trip and fall, stumbling, trying to get back up, only to be tackled to the grown by something black. A heart went flying up into the air. Kairi and Namine gasped.

Heartless.

"Oh no." Namine growned.

"They attacked different cities and worlds." Olette explained. "Junon, Costa del Sol, the Imperial City, Monstropolis, Nibelheim; it seems like they're attacking places where Shin-ra troops are stationed.

"There's also something that's going to upset you guys." Hayner put in.

Kairi and Namine held their breath, waiting.

"The biggest attack force headed for Midgar itself."

"Oh no. Please no. Sora!" Kairi exclaimed.

"And Roxas." Namine put in sadly.

"Don't worry, those guys can handle themselves," Pence said encouragingly. "By the way, Riku left as soon as he heard, so we're obviously not having the party."

Tears welled up in Kairi's eyes. Sora was in danger again, and she couldn't do anything about it.

Olette placed a kind hand on her shoulder. "Don't worry. They have the Shin-ra army and SOLDIER backing them up, not to mention their friends. Cloud and Zack are there, remember?"

Kairi looked up. "Yeah, you're right."

"So that's that." Hayner said, standing up. "Right, we leave for Midgar tomorrow morning." He headed to his room, coming back loading a clip into a Shin-ra SK-37 submachine gun, pulling the cocking mechanism back.

Kairi looked at him. "Really?"

Hayner grinned as he grabbed his messenger bag full of ammo and clips. "Really."

* * *

Ok, it's done. Yeah, Kairi and Namine are in Twilight Town living in Pence's dead grandpa's beach house. I'll explain how Namine and Roxas are their own selves… eventually.


	5. The Beginning

The Shinra Building loomed over the two keyblade masters, its size intimidating anything but the bravest of men or the biggest of fools to the point of them just turning around, walking away and forgetting whatever business they had at the building, thinking that whoever owned a building like this had to be 10 times scarier.

Sora and Roxas walked through the main doors. The lobby on the first floor was huge. There was a sign with a map on it, two staircases leading to the second floor, two doors on either side of the receptionist desk leading to the exhibit room, and two elevators on the second floor. Both of the teens made their way to the receptionist desk.

"Hey Krysten!" Sora said happily.

"Oh h-hey Sora." Krysten stuttered, blushing slightly.

Roxas could only smile at her sadly. He knew Krysten had a crush on Sora, but Sora already had someone else on his mind.

"Oh, um, Sora, Roxas? Director Lazard wants to see you in the SOLDIER briefing room." Krysten said.

"Thanks a lot, we'll head up there right now. See ya Krysten!" Sora said as he headed for the staircase. Roxas stayed behind and watched Krysten watching Sora head up the stairs.

Roxas sighed. "No offense Krysten, but you and I both know that it's not going to happen. Sora already has someone else in mind."

Krysten looked down. "I know."

"Hey, cheer up, I'm sure somebody will come along in your life sooner or later." Roxas said, smiling.

The 15-year-old girl looked up. "I hope you're right."

Roxas' grin grew even larger. "Trust me, I know I am. See you later." With that, he headed up the stairs after Sora.

* * *

The briefing room door slid open to reveal a man with blond hair wearing a pinstripe suit sitting at the head of a table in front of a giant display screen. Upon hearing the door open, he looked over his shoulder, then stood up. Sora and Roxas walked in and stopped 5 feet in front of him.

"Sora, reporting for duty, Director Lazard, sir!" Sora said, standing stiffly with both hands at his side before giving a salute. Roxas just shook his head and looked up from where he was standing.

Lazard smiled. "Ah, it's about time. Congratulations on completing your last training assignment. I must say, I'm quite impressed. You handled that quite well."

Suddenly, both teens were pulled into a headlock. "Yeah, who knew two kids with giant keys could totally own a giant robot." The man let go of them, letting them turn around to look at him, even though he knew they already knew who he was. He had black hair, slicked back but spikey at the end. However, one slim section stood up, and then bent forward. He had bright blue eyes and a grin that could light up The World That Never Was.

"C'mon Zack, they're called keyblades, and give us some respect. We beat your score big time!" Sora said, grinning.

Zack scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, not too sure how I feel about that." Then he looked at them, his grin returning. "But I can do 50 more squats than you guys combined!"

A hand flew out and slapped Zack on the back of the head, causing him to duck and mutter an "ow" and rub the back of his head.

"Relax, Zack. SOLDIER training isn't a contest. It's a test to see if you have what it takes to be one of Shinra's finest." An older man with black-slicked back hair that went just below the back of his head and a five-o-clock shadow said as he walked in. Lazard chuckled. "Angeal. Good to see you. How well did the mission go in Wutai?"

"A success. The council has been established, the treaty has been signed, war has been prevented, and the heartless giving the workers building the mako reactor trouble have been defeated.

"Good to hear. Now then –" but before Lazard could finish, the alarms started blaring, flashing their red light through the room. A woman's voice came over the intercom.

"All Shinra fighting personnel, report to Sectors 8 and 5 and also to the outskirts of the city. A massive army of heartless has been spotted, however, they have not attacked as of yet. Shinra army squads Alpha, Bravo, Delta, and Echo, along with SOLDIER squads 1C, 3X, and 5R, report to the hanger and board your respective helicopters to report to other zones under fire by the heartless. This is a Code 4 emergency, directly from the desk of the president. This is not a drill."

"All right, Zack, Angeal, get your squads ready and on standby. Sora, Roxas, you're on your own, but seeing as how you've both had a lot of experience with these creatures, I'm sure you'll be fine." Lazard said to the group of people in the room.

"Yes sir, Director." Zack said for everyone, and he and Angeal left the room. Sora and Roxas both turned to go before Lazard stopped them.

"Hold on, you two. I had the Science and Weapons Departments make you both new keychains for your weapons." He then gave them both keychains that looked almost like the Shinra company symbol.

"Thanks, Director!" Sora shouted.

"Both of you rest up. From the sound of things, the heartless won't make a move for a while."

"We will. Goodbye, Director." Roxas said before both he and Sora headed of to Sora's room. They hung out in Sora's room since he had a mini fridge, a flat screen HD tv (made by Shinra) and video games.

Lazard watched them leave, and then returned to his seat. He rested his head on his fist and other hand. He just sat there in silence, looking at the view screen, staring at the flashing red lights of the heat zones.

"There's something more behind this. I'm sure of it."


	6. Arrival

Hey, sorry I haven't updated in two decades. I'm a lazy American. It's sad really.

Also, I'm putting up a new chapter to actually be called chapter 1, so there will be a new beginning to the story. The present chapter will still exist… it just won't be chapter 1… ok next chapter.

* * *

Day 1, 12:35 p.m.

Twilight Town group

Midgar Sector 1 gummi ship/train station

The group of teens stepped off the gummi ship and headed for the platform steps. They waded through the midst of the crowd of people, Hayner leading the way, his submachine gun and messenger bag slung over his right shoulder.

"Hey Hayner, where did you get that gun anyway?" Pence asked.

Hayner turned and grinned. "My dad got it for me when he went to Midgar on business. Got me the clips, ammo, and a couple lessons too."

"This place seems to have gotten larger since the last time we were here." Kairi said to the others. They all nodded, and then started reminiscing on that day as they walked.

* * *

"Miss Kairi Hemmington, I'm delighted that you could make it. Welcome to my humble laboratory heeheehee!" Professor Hojo cackled. The sound made Kairi shiver and Sora placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"Don't even think about experimenting on her, Hojo, or I'll take your head off so fast you won't even feel –."

"Nonsense, nonsense, pure drivel." Hojo said with a wave of his hand. "I've only had you both come here to test a hypothesis. I wouldn't even think about trying one of my "special" experiments. Not today anyway." He then covered his mouth and cackled again.

Sora grit his teeth and growled. Kairi placed a reassuring hand on his arm. Sora looked down at her, then stayed silent.

"Now then. Keyboy, enter that sample casing over there." Hojo pointed to a big, clear tube. Sora glared at the scientist, hoping that some unknown force would shatter his glasses and litter his eyes with glass shrapnel before proceeding up the three steps that led to the walkway. The door to the sample tube hissed and slid off to the side. Sora walked in and examined the few small items that were inside. There was a screen that displayed the sample's vital information. There were also two scanner outputs. He looked up at the roof of the tube and saw four small nozzle-like items, all pointed at the center of the tube. The door slid shut. The lock engaged.

Hojo grinned evilly. "Yes. Yeeesss." He walked over to a control console and looked down at a large red button. He chuckled again.

"And here, we," he pushed the button. "Go!"

A greenish colored gas started to spray out of the nozzles. Sora looked around and started coughing. The gas kept coming. He kept coughing. Everything started to go black, and he passed out.

* * *

Black. That's all he could see. Black.

Darkness.

_Was Hojo lying? Am I…dead?_

A small dot of light shone through the darkness. It started to grow larger and larger until all he could see was white.

Sora found himself in a room of pure white. He looked around and realized that he wasn't alone. There was a man standing a ways away from him. He was wearing what looked like a white version of the Organization XIII cloak, causing Sora to start wiggling the fingers on his right hand, ready to summon the keyblade at any second.

The man, who had his hands behind his back, suddenly dropped his arms and took three steps forward. Sora was on the verge of rushing forward and attacking the man, but something in his mind told him that that wasn't such a good idea. Then the man raise his right arm and pointed at him.

"Hero of the Light," The man's voice was strong and had a majestic ring to it. "I know the makeup of your heart. You are not one body, housing one soul, but rather two souls in one body. And now I ask you this. Are you willing to give up half of what you are, in order for two to be whole?"

Sora lowered his head, letting the information sink in for a couple seconds, making sure he fully understood what the man had just said to him before he replied. He raised his head and stared directly at the man.

"Yes. I'm willing to lose half of myself if Roxas can be whole."

The man nodded his head. "Then I shall heed to your wishes." With that, he snapped his fingers, and tentacles of light started swirling around Sora's body. The man then lowered the hood of his cloak. Sora gasped.

The man looked sort of familiar. Short brown spiky hair and a goatee dominated his face and head. However, the thing that stood out to him were his eyes. They were blue. Solid blue.

Blue like the sky.

The man grinned and gave a slight wave as the light engulfed him and everything went white.

* * *

The sound of a door hissing open made Sora open his eyes. He looked up to see Hojo grinning triumphantly and Kairi looking on in shock. He heard a groan from his right side. He turned.

And found himself staring at a spitting image of himself with blonde spiky hair lying on his back.

"Roxas?"

Roxas groaned again, opened his eyes and sat up. He looked at Sora, who was now standing. He scratched the back of his head.

"Sora? What happened?"

"I'll tell you what happened!" Hojo said as he approached the tube. "My hypothesis was a success! The part of your heart that held Roxas' existence was separated from your heart. Then, the side of the heart that belonged to each person was copied into data, converted, and then made solid to complete the other half of the heart. Also in the process, the hidden and submerged chains of memories were raised to the surface. Now you should remember anything!"

The data screen in the sample tube started sparking and smoking. Sora and Roxas took off down the platform just as the screen let out an explosion. The heat from the blast melted the scanners and blackened the ends of the nozzles.

Hojo rubbed his chin. "Hmm, I'll have to make some adjustments to that." He clapped his hands. "Very well! We shall experiment on the female after the machine is fixed.

The door to the Laboratory opened and Hayner, Pence, and Olette ran.

Hayner looked at the floor, panting, then started speaking as he looked up. "Hey, guys, Riku told us to come here ASAP so – WOAH!" The three teens jumped back at the sight of Roxas.

Roxas just smiled a little and waved. "Hey guys."

Sora grinned. "This is Roxas."

Immediately, the three teens remembered everything that Sora had told them about their non-existing friend. They smiled at Roxas.

"Get out of my lab! I have no need of you anymore. Allow me to glory in my brilliance!" Hojo turned back to the smoking machine and cackled loudly as the group of teens left without another word.

* * *

Suddenly, a girl's scream broke through the air. Hayner's weapon was out in an instant as everybody started looking around. A blonde-headed little girl was running through the crowd, being chased by something.

Something black.

With antennae and glowing yellow eyes.

The girl tripped and fell. She tried to get up, only to stumble again. No one in the crowd would come close. They had all started running to a safe distance, forming a giant circle around the girl and the heartless. The shadow wobbled closer, moving in for so easy a kill.

Gunfire ripped through the sky, and the heartless disappeared in a black wisp. A small wisp of smoke trickled out of the barrel of Hayner's submachine gun before he lowered it. Everyone looked on in shock. The girl jumped up and ran to Hayner. He got on his knee and returned the hug the girl gave him, then stood up as the girl ran off into the crowd. He looked at the trembling stationmaster, who looked right back at him.

"Is there a bomb shelter or safe haven of some kind around here?" The man nodded. Hayner gestured to the frightened crowd. "Get them there."

The stationmaster started to herd the crowd to a tunnel near the gummi landing platform. Hayner returned to his group. A grim look was in his eyes as he looked at each member of his party. He slapped a new clip into his gun and pulled the cocking lever.

"All right. Let's get to the Shinra building."


	7. The People of the Plains

Sorry…. I'm a lazy person who doesn't consistently write.

Disclaimer: don't own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy, or any other stuff that might appear.

* * *

Day 1 – 11:25 P.M.

Shinra Building – Suite 137

The hot water cascaded down his body, the warmth soothing his aching muscles. As much as Sora didn't want to admit it, that last virtual reality training session had really taken a toll on him. He just stood there, soaking, thinking about all that had happened in the last ten months.

_Ten months? So it's May? Kairi's birthday is coming up…And I haven't gotten her anything yet…Crud._

He shook these thoughts out of his head, and continued to reminisce. He remembered the first day that he and Riku had arrived at the Shinra Building, just looking up and admiring its massiveness. He remembered the first time that they met Director Lazard. He remembered his first run-in with Zack. It made him chuckle to himself. Zack and Kunsel and been wandering around, trying to find a janitor so he could unlock the door to the Recreation Room since they had left their keycards in their rooms. Riku had asked why they just didn't go back and get them. They looked at each other, and then Zack answered, "We're too lazy." Sora had laughed and used his newly acquired keycard to unlock the room for them, immediately putting himself in high favor with Kunsel and Zack.

Sora grinned even more, thinking about that day. Then his smile lessened when he remembered the mako treatments. Sure, he and Roxas received way less than the normal SOLDIER amount, but Riku got more than the full treatment.

* * *

Apparently, the scientists realized their mistake because they told Riku to wear a pair of sunglasses until he got to his room. They had decided to crash in Sora's room for the night. Sora turned on the TV and Roxas just lay down on his bed and started texting Naminé with his new PHS. Riku had gone into the bathroom. No more than ten seconds later they heard Riku exclaim "Whoa!" and something fall over. Sora and Roxas just stared at the bathroom door, wondering.

"Guys." Riku said, opening the door slightly and motioning them in. Sora and Roxas looked at each other, shrugged, and went to see what the problem was.

Riku pointed to the mirror, and the three of them stood there, looking. Riku pointed to his eyes. "I think they gave me a little bit too much."

Sora and Roxas just stared at the reflection of Riku's eyes. Instead of their bluish-green color, they were red. Blood red.

* * *

Sora sighed. Since then, Riku had taken to wearing colored contacts to try and cover up the mistake. But, just like King Mickey had said, his eyes couldn't lie, and there was always a hint of red visible.

He turned the water off and stepped out of the shower. After drying off and getting into clean clothes, he walked into the small area where the TV was. The display screen of his PHS was lit up. He picked up the cellphone, flipped it open, and looked at the screen

1 new text message

He went to the inbox and opened the new message from Zack. He read it silently to himself.

_Hey Sora. With this Heartless army sitting on our doorstep and the Army forced to raise the defense walls surrounding the slums, Director Lazard is setting up patrols of the Plate from now on. The schedules were just sent out. Guess who got Midnight shift? You! Ahaha no worries, I'll be relieving you at two, so just hang in there. It'll do you some good to get out for a while. You looked a bit stressed earlier. You feeling alright man?_

Sora moaned when he read the part about midnight shift, but it didn't matter. It wasn't like he had a say in the matter, even if he was the Keyblade Master. He looked at the clock. 11:45. Might as well head to the lobby. He closed the PHS, putting it in his pocket. He reached up and fingered the Lucky Charm that he had attached to the same chain as his crown pendant. Kairi had given it back to him on the day that he and Riku left. They had promised that whenever one of them left and the other couldn't follow, then the departing person got the charm as a promise to return alive and well someday.

_Sora._

Sora's head whipped around. Had he just heard a voice? He shook his head.

_It's late. I must be imagining things. _

He headed out the door.

* * *

Sora quickly jogged down the stairs. He turned toward the reception desk and immediately grinned. Krysten was the only one working Reception. Her head was on the desk, indicating that she was fast asleep. Sora couldn't help himself. He ran into the gift shop next to the Exhibit room, bought a mini cooking timer, and a Shinra X-treme energy drink. He crept up quietly, setting the X-treme energy drink next to her, along with the cooking timer, which he had set to go off in five minutes. He scribbled a short note and left it with rest of his gifts, and walked out, a huge smile on his face.

* * *

The annoying shrill alarm of the cooking timer jolted Krysten awake. She looked down and cocked an eyebrow at the foreign gifts on the desk. She reached out and shut off the alarm, and noticed the note partly under the energy drink. She picked it up and started to read. Immediately, a grin replaced the confused expression on her face.

_Krysten,_

_Shinra X-treme energy drink! Guaranteed to keep you energized and running for up to eight hours with no crash! Sorry, I came down to head out on patrol, saw the state that you were in, and just couldn't help myself. You're welcome, haha!_

_- Sora_

Krysten grabbed the energy drink and opened it, taking a sip. _Thanks, Sora._

* * *

"Sector 8 is clear. How's Sector 4 looking, Forscher?"

"_Sector's 4 looking good. Heading down to the beautiful Sector 5. Reporting back to base in 0200 hours."_

Sora couldn't help but chuckle at the infantryman's "fascination" with the slums. "Roger that. Heading over to Loveless Avenue right now. See you at 0200 hours. Sora out."

He clicked the radio off and headed for his next destination. However, when he passed under the arch, he felt a presence move behind him. In a split second he had spun around, his keyblade clashing with a long, thin blade. He saw a hooded figure holding the blade, a cloak covering most of his outfit. He jumped back and was ready to move in for another strike when the stranger held up a hand. Sora stopped, confused.

"Peace, Keyblade Master, I mean no harm to you or anyone else." The figure bowed to Sora. He looked to be in his mid twenties. His eyes reflected the light from the streetlights, causing them to glow eerily. "I come to ask for the Company's aid."

Sora dismissed the keyblade and walked up to the stranger. "What's your name?"

The stranger looked him straight in the eye. "My name matters not, only the fate of my people." He turned away from Sora and stood silent for several seconds before looking over his shoulder slightly and continuing. "We are the Rangers of the Plains. The Company used to pay us in the early days to keep Midgar and one of its reactors safe, but since there hasn't been any trouble in the past, they stopped sending checks. However, as you can see, trouble is back, and that trouble is sitting on the doorstep of our outpost and we are outnumbered one hundred to one."

Sora nodded. "All right. I'll call the Director." He pulled out his PHS and dialed the number. One ring later, and the Director's voice appeared. "Lazard."

"Hey Director, it's Sora. I have a Plains Ranger here in need of the Company's assistance."

"How many men?" Lazard asked?

Sora lowered the phone and looked at the Ranger. "How many men?"

"About 40 men would suffice." The Ranger replied.

"40 men." Sora told the Director.

"All right. I'll send two divisions of infantrymen and Zack and Angeal. They should be to the outpost tomorrow morning."

Sora nodded. "Ok. Thank you, Director." With that, he hung up.

"He's sending two divisions of infantrymen and two SOLDIER 1st Class operatives."

The Ranger nodded. "That will do nicely. On behalf of my people, I thank you."

"No problem!" Sora replied, grinning and putting his hands behind his head.

There was silence for a minute.

"So…" Sora began. "What's your story?"

The Ranger looked at him. "My people were here before Shinra ever came to this planet. We knew nothing of mako or guns or machinery. We only knew of swords, mythical weapons…. And the Darkness."

"Darkness?"

The Ranger nodded. "Yes. We fought the Heartless day and night. The conflict never ceased." The Ranger looked up to the stars. "That's when they came. A giant ship touched down 200 meters from our settlement, loaded to the brim with armed troops and weapons. I was with the Chief and his scouting party when it landed. Three figures exited the ship, an extremely large man, a man with orange hair who I learned was his son, and a foreign looking man in a black suit. The large man said his name was Shinra." The Ranger paused. "They promised to help us fight the Darkness in exchange for control of the planet. We agreed, and they kept their word. In about three months, there wasn't any sign of the Heartless."

"After that, they started to build Midgar, telling us of all the things that it would be. A place of prosperity, full of wonder and amazement, and very eco-friendly thanks to a source of energy that they discovered here called Mako." The Ranger turned to Sora. "They came to the village one day, and talked to the Chief about building a Mako reactor in our village. The Chief wasn't a fool, that's one of the reasons why he is our chief. He was skeptic about all of this business with mako and also of a sneaking suspicion that it was connected to the legendary Lifestream."

Sora frowned. "Life… Stream?"

"Yes," the Ranger replied. "All the worlds have a Lifestream. It is a gift from the Light that allows us to live comfortably on the worlds. Anyway, they offered us money to watch over the reactor and to protect the outskirts of Midgar. There wasn't much he could do. Shinra was very powerful and we were living in poverty at the time. He agreed."

"However, we started to see changes. The plant life started to wither away and die. The wildlife had all but left the area and instead was replaced with dangerous, hideous, and horrifying monsters. It seemed as if the ground itself had died." The Ranger sighed. "Aside from that, everything was going all right until one day, a terrible storm blew in. We took shelter in some caves in the nearby cliff, but the reactor suffered heavy damage. The Company decided it was too much of a hassle and too costly to repair, so they abandoned it. However, mako continued to seep out of the gaping holes and cracks in the reactor, and we were directly exposed to it. We started changing. We became stronger. We were more resilient to the damage that our enemies and the environment provided for us. We felt braver and more courageous than we ever had before. But that wasn't all that it did."

The Ranger paused again. "We suffered continual exposure to the mako, and so it started causing other problems with us." He lowered his hood, and Sora got a good look at him. He almost gasped. The man's skin was covered in zigzag designs that seemed to glow a bluish green color. His skin was very pale, allowing the marks to stand out and glow even more. His eyes though…

His eyes were gray.

Devoid of almost any life.

"As you can see, it changed our actual being too. I have heard that a few of my people were actually turned into monsters."

Sora was appalled. "That's terrible! Why doesn't Shinra do something?"

"That's what I used to wonder. Hopefully these Shinra people will see the condition that we are in and do something about it." He spat. "Maybe it won't be an inconvenience to them now."

"I'm sure they'll do something! President Rufus actually cares about this planet now."

The Ranger looked Sora square in the eye. "Let's pray that that is true."

The Ranger pulled the hood of his cloak back over his head, and started to walk away.

"Oh, and by the way," He stopped and looked over his shoulder at Sora. "My name is Taeven." And with that, he jumped and grabbed a hold of a ledge on a building, swung himself up onto the roof, and was gone.

* * *

There was a knock on Zack's bedroom door. Zack just groaned and rolled over. Another knock on the door, and Zack groggily sat up.

"Go 'way, I be sleepin'." He fell back onto his bed and was out like a light.

The door came flying off its hinges and landed on the floor, startling Zack awake. Angeal walked in, dressed in his SOLDIER uniform, the Buster sword strapped on his back.

"Angeal, what's going on?" Zack shouted as Angeal came over and flipped his mattress over, dumping him in a heap on the floor.

"Get up and get dressed. We're leaving." Angeal replied, a smirk on his face.

Zack looked at the clock. "At 1:30 in the morning? That's crazy! And I have to be on patrol in thirty minutes."

"Someone will take care of that," said Angeal. "Right now you need to get your gear and get moving. Meet me in the lobby in five minutes."

"Yes, Mother." Zack muttered, earning a slap upside the head from Angeal before he left. Zack threw on his uniform, wiped the sleep from his eyes, grabbed his sword and headed for the elevator.

* * *

Five hours later…..

Day 2, 6:30 A.M.

Wasteland outside of Midgar

Shinra military personnel

"Are we there yet?"

"No, Zack."

The two operatives were sitting in the back of an open truck on the way to the Ranger settlement.

"What about now?"

"No, Zack."

The only sound was the rumbling of the truck as it sped onward.

"Are we there-."

"Zack, if you say that one more time, I'm going to shave your head while you sleep."

Needless to say, Zack didn't say another word until they got to the settlement.

* * *

"Ah, Mister SOLDIER. It is a pleasure to meet your acquaintance. I am Chief Daliphaino," said the chief. He and Angeal shook hands. "Thank you for coming to our aid."

"It was our pleasure, Chief Daliphaino," Angeal replied, a smile on his face. "I hope we can help you with this problem.

It was the chief's turn to smile. "Oh don't worry, I'm positive that you can help. I'm sure you've heard by now that we are having quite a bit of trouble with the Heartless."

Angeal nodded. "What do you need us to do?"

The chief beckoned him over to a table. There was a map. The chief pointed out three positions circled in ink.

"We need you to set up men here, here, and here. My men will be stationed in hiding spots near each of the three spots."

"How much time do we have?" Angeal asked.

"According to my scouts, the heartless are about 100 miles away. Seeing as how they also have ground troops with them, I assume they will march the entire way. That gives us about three days."

Angeal cocked an eyebrow. "Ground troops?"

The chief nodded. "I know. I do not understand it either."

Angeal grunted. "I think I do."

"Please, explain."

Angeal looked the chief square in the eye.

"Genesis."


	8. Darkness

Day 5, 12:56:34

Wasteland outside Midgar

Ranger settlement

* * *

"Get those guns up here, right now!"

"You hold it like this, point at your enemy, look through here, squeeze the trigger."

"Hey Sarge, where do you want this ammo?"

The settlement was a bluster of activity as the Rangers and the Shinra military hurried to get ready for the imminent Heartless attack.

Zack was sitting by the remnants of a campfire from the night before. He rose as Angeal approached. Angeal tossed Zack's sword to him. Zack fumbled a bit before getting a firm grip on the handle. He looked at his mentor. "What's going on?"

"We're leaving."

"What?" Zack was astonished. "They need us here!"

Angeal held up a hand. "Relax, we're just going to meet up with one of the scouting parties. We'll probably see some action when we get there, all right."

Zack crossed his arms and tilted his head sideways at Angeal. "I can cut loose, right?"

Angeal sighed. "Use some discretion."

"You got it!"

* * *

An hour later…..

Zack slid next to the rifleman perched on the mesa. "How's it look?"

The infantryman looked at him. "Not good, sir. We're counting two to three battalion sized groups of tangos, moving at an estimated twelve miles an hour. They'll be coming by our position soon."

"How soon?" Zack asked.

"E.T.A.'s about sixteen minutes," replied the trooper.

Zack nodded, got up, and walked over to where Angeal sat leaning against a tall rock. He slid down next to the older man.

"Zack," Angeal said. Zack looked up quizzically. "Follow your dreams."

"Huh?"

Angeal opened his eyes. He slowly gripped the handle of the buster sword strapped to his back. "And, whatever happens, protect the honor of the Light and your honor as SOLDIER." He started walking towards the edge of the mesa. Zack looked after him, scratching his head, filled with confusion. What had prompted that to come from Angeal?

The sixteen minutes that they waited seemed to pass like five. Pretty soon, Zack could hear the rumbling of the army marching close by. Angeal hadn't left his spot by the edge of the mesa. Zack got to his feet and joined him. He raised an eyebrow at Angeal, and Angeal nodded at him. A fire sparked in Zack's eyes as he grinned and smacked his fist into his hand. "It's showtime!"

Zack leapt off the mesa, followed by Angeal. They landed in front of the oncoming waves of enemy. The two warriors sprinted into the horde, slashing and stabbing as they went. Some of the Armored Knight heartless stopped and tried to fight, but they were cut down instantly.

Zack swung left and right, never seeming to run out of energy. He dove over two Knights, rolled, and brought his sword slashing through a third. He spun in a circle and twisted into the air, destroying several of his adversaries.

Angeal was hacking away at the main assault force, consisting of Neoshadows, Large Bodies, and Armored Knights. He was doing just fine cutting his way through line after line, decimating the forces of evil when he felt a sharp pain slice across his arm. He looked at the wound, then the blood on the sword of a Knight. He slugged the knight in the face, knocking it to the ground, and stabbing it through the torso. He let felt a burning pain where the wound was and turned to see a cloudlike heartless attached to his arm. He tried to shake it off, but the Possessor held on. The burning sensation continued until it finally let go, making a noise that sounded eerily like an evil giggle as it floated away. Angeal felt physically drained after the encounter and looked for Zack. He found him soon enough as he saw the remnants of heartless go flying through the air. He keyed the earpiece in his ear. "Zack, come in."

"_Zack here, graaaaaaggh take that, heh, what's up?"_

"Zack," Angeal panted, and lifted his blade to intercept a Neoshadow's claw. "We have to fall back. I'm wounded."

"_Woah, how bad?"_

"Just a scratch, but I feel drained. We need to make it back to the settlement."

"_All right, see ya soon."_

In about twenty seconds, Zack had carved his way to Angeal and they both exited the mass. The soldiers on the mesa were still providing covering fire after they had escaped.

* * *

Back at the settlement, Zack plopped down on his cot and exhaled. "Phew! We took a lot out today, huh?" He wiped the sweat from his forehead. Angeal continued to stare at the ground. "Angeal, you alright?" Zack asked.

Angeal looked up. "Fine," he grunted. He stepped off the wall he was leaning against. "Go see what they're serving for dinner. I'm starving." Zack nodded and headed toward the building that was converted into a mess hall.

Angeal removed his hand from the wound that he had received in the previous battle. The area around the wound had turned black, and the wound itself seemed to be seeping darkness.

_Angeeeeeaaal._

He grimaced at the voice in his head.

_Angeal. Heed my call._

"No," he murmered, and staggered out toward the main camp.

_Angeal._

_"_No!" he said, holding his head. He stumbled towards the campfire. _Have to make it stop, have to make it stop._

_You can't run from your destiny, Angeal._

"No!" came the more agonized cry as he fell to his knees.

One of the infantryran over to him. "Angeal, sir, are you alright?" Angeal shoved him away and got back on his feet. He stumbled away from the settlement.

_Don't run, Angeal. It is futile._

_"_Leave me alone!" He cried and ran out into the desert. The darkness started to flow from the wound. He gasped as it consumed his arm.

_Don't resist. Let go. Let the darkness take over..._

He uttered a cry and fell to his knees once more. The darkness preceded to cover his whole body. As soon as it had, it seemed to be absorbed into Angeal's body.

He opened his eyes. Glowing yellow orbs replaced the mako blue ones.

"I yield. Master."

* * *

It's been too long. I haven't updated this story in ages. It's short, sorry guys. Reviews are nice, but not necessary.


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